Table adjusting mechanism for machine tools



Jan. 19, 1954 zwlcK 2,666,366

TABLE ADJUSTINGMECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed Oct. 51, 1950 2 Sheefs-Sheet 1 a I I /nvenf0r= Kurf Zwick Afforng-JY Patented Jan. 19, 1954 attest-s TABLE ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS Kurt Zwick, Munich, Germany, assignor to. Hans Deckel and Friedrich Wilhelm Deckel, both of Munich, Germany Application'October 31, 1950, Serial No. 193,132

Claims priority, application Germany October 31, 1949 I 12 Claims. l

The present invention relates to work table adjusting mechanism for machine tools, and more particularly to mechanism for adjusting the positions of the work tables of copying or engraving or die-sinking machines or similar machines of the type employing two tables, one for holding a pattern to be followed and the other for holding apiece of work to be operated upon.

An object of the invention is the provision of simple and inexpensive mechanism by which each table may be individually adjusted in position, when so desired, and by which both tables may be concomitantly adjusted in position by the operation of a singleadjusting means such as a hand Wheel or crank, when so desired.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such mechanism in a form in which the conjoint operation of both tables does not interfere with individual adjustment of one table, so that both tables may be concomitantly adjusted when so desired, and then one of the tables'may be further adjusted individually without affecting the position of the other table.

Still another object is the provision of such mechanism in which the conjoint adjusting means may be rendered ineffective easily and quickly, with a minimum of eifort.

These and other desirable objects are accomplished by the construction disclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the inventionin the following description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line II-II of Fig. 1, with parts in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken approxi- .mately on the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line IVIV of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In machine tools of the kinds above mentioned, it frequently happens that in adjusting the pattern and the work piece for cooperation with the tracing stylus and the cutter of the machine, the two tables on which the pattern and the work piece are mounted must be individually adjusted.

- Yet also it is frequently desirable to readjust both tables by exactly the same amount, moving the work piece by an amount exactly equal to the extent of moving the pattern. If the two tables are completely independent of each other, it is a rather difiicult and tedious job to make sure that the second table is adjusted through exactly the same extent as the first table. As above mentioned, the present invention obviates this, by enabling the two tables to be coupled to each other at will, so far as their adjustments are concerned, the coupling being in such a way that both tables may be moved concomitantly through identical amounts by the operation of a single adjusting means (for example, a hand wheel or crank) and yet this coupling of the tables to each other does not interfere with independent movement of one table relative to the other, whenever so desired. Also, the conjoint operating means of the present invention may quickly be rendered completely ineffective, leaving both tables to be adjusted entirely by their own independent adjusting means, whenever desired.

Referring now to the drawings, there is indicated diagrammatically at H] the main frame or pedestal of a suitable machine tool, which, except for the table adjusting mechanism herein disclosed, may-be of any conventional or usual construction. Mounted for vertical adjustment with respect to this main frame or pedestal l9 are the two tables l2 and M, the upper surfaces'of ,the tables having the usual T-shaped slots (Fig.

2) by means of which the work piece l3 and pattern l5 may be respectively clamped to the tables in known manner, the former in position to be operated upon by the cutting tool indicated diagrammatically at H, and the latter in position to contact with the tracing stylus indicated diagrammatically at IS. The lower parts of the respective tables, extending downwardly from the enlarged flat tops or heads, are indicated respectively at [6 and I8. As herein used, the, term work table, except as otherwise specially qualified or limited, is intended to refer broadly to a table regardless of whether it holds the work piece or the pattern, and the term table is also intended to include broadly the lower part It or l8, respectively, as well as the actual fiat head or supporting portion l2 or I4, respectively. 7

On the lower part 10 of the machine frame there are two vertical tracks or guideways 29 and 22, conveniently of the conventional dovetailed form, along which the lower parts of the tables I6 and I8 slide in their vertical adjusting movements. The independent vertical movements of the two tables are performed, as usual, by wo in pendent cranks or hand wheels 24 -close to the second table 18. .journal or bearing 48::is a short vertical shaft fill,

and 26 mounted respectively on the tables l6 and I8, and coupled, by beveled gears or other suitable mechanism, to vertical adjusting screws 28 and 30, respectively, the former being shown diagrammatically by .a dot dash line. The mechanism thus'far described is conventional and it is believed it need not be disclosed in any greater detail.

With such conventional mechanism, each table 12 and I4 may be independently raised and lowered by operation of its respective manual adjusting member 24 or 26. :But wheneverboth tables are to be adjusted vertically to exactly the same extent, considerable trouble and difficulty are frequently experienced, all of which is obviated by the present invention.

The adjusting screw 28 of the first "table 12,

, relatively to the first table by independent operation of its own adjusting means 26, regardless of'the elevation at which the nut 36 is held,

either by the arm 52 or by the head or collar 42.

One side of the guideway 38 has a longitudinal slot or opening 54 to accommodate the upward 'an'ddo'wnwa'rd movements of the arm 52.

Whenever it is desired to disconnect the interconnecting means between the two tables, so that they willbperate entirely independently of .each other, this is done very quickly. The first l6 cooperates in the conventional manner with.

a stationary nut 32 which is supported on the machine frame at 34. According to the present "invention, however, "the adjusting screw 30 or "the se'cond"*table does not cooperate with I a statio'na'ry nut lout-rather is screwed into a special nut 36 which is vertically movable in a track or "guideway 38 of sleeve form stationarily secured at 40 to the machine frame or column Ill. .At 'the top of this vertically movable nut 36 is an enlarged head or collar 42 which may rest on thetop oftheguiding sleeve or track 38 and thus determine the lowest position of the nut 36'and provide a support for the nut at this elevation, whenever itis not supported ata still t high'er elevation inithe manner described below.

A longitudinal slot or :keyw'ay 53 in the nut to receives a stationary pin orkey 44 to prevent the irnut 36 from turning in its guideway or track.

:Extending laterally :from "the first table 1:6,

and mounted rigidly thereon to move upwardly and downwardly'bodily therewith,.is a bracket '48 formed with a vertical journal or bearing 33 located between the two tables and relatively R'otatable in this the upper end of which is headed or enlarged so as to support the shaft against downward movement in the bracket. The lower end of thisshait carries a laterallyextending'arm 52 which, when swungto the position shownin Fig. 4 and in the full lines in Fig. 1, has its 'end in a position directly alined with and underlying the lower end of the nut 36o1the second table it. seem inFigs. 1 and 2, the eiiective end of the As well arm 52 is formed of frusto-conical shape to engage with a hollow frusto-conical portion at the lower end of the .nut 36, to inter-lookone with the other and prevent :accidental lateral displacement of the supporting arm'from the nut when .the two are engaged with each other.

With this construction, it is seen'that when the first table I is adjusted upwardly by means of its adjusting wheel 24, thelateral arm 52 rises bodily with the table it and, since it un- -derlies the nut 36, .it carries the nut--35 of'the .second .table upwardly with it, through exactly the same extent as theextent of upward move- .ment of the first table 16. Thus the second table is raised by themovement of the first table, through exactly the same amount, without any care or attention on the part of the operator to make surethat the two tables travel through identical distances. The same coupling of movement is true with respect to lowering of the first table i6, until this table goes down to the point where the collar or head 42 on the nut 36 rests on the top of the guideway 38. After that,

" cill'ated through approximately 180 to'sorriesuch position a'ssho'w'n in dotted lines at 52a in -l, where this arm no longer underliesthe second table 18. 'In this position, the arm 52 has no effect upon the second "table and each 'tableis operated entirely independently by its own individual adjusting means 24 or 26. Yet it is but the work of a moment to oscillate the arm 52 back to the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 4, whereupon the tables may be once more connected for simultaneous vertical 'adjustment by operation of the single adjusting means 24.

In most machines, the adjustingmovement's of the work tableswhich may be coupled to each other-"in accordance witht'he present invention, are vertical or approximately vertical adjusting movements, as disclosed "above in the foregoing description referring toFigs. 1-4 of thedra'wings. However, this is notne'cessarily so. The present invention may be employed equally well for coupling together the adjusting movements of any two work tables which move through parallel or approximately parallel paths, regardless of whether these adjusting movements be'vertical or horizontal or at an oblique inclination,

TO illustrate the applicability of the invention to work tables having movements in directions other than vertical, there is shown in Fig. '5 a machine in which the work'tables are movable horizontally, the structure being substantially the same as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 except for be- -ing turned, as it were, on its" side. The corresponding parts in'Fig. 5 are given the same -reference numerals as in Figs. 1-4 with the addition "of Hill to each numeral.

Thus the main frame of the machine, shown at H] in Figs. 1-4, is indicated "in Fig. 5"at H8. The work tables "ilzand it' l are adjusted independently by'the hand wheels I24 and H6, and when they are to be adjustedsimultaneously, the connecting arm 1'52, mounted on the pivot shaft I59, is swung up to theiposition shown in full lines inFig. 5, to engage one end "of the nut member 13-6 of the second work table 25 3, H3, so that this nut member 36 is moved along concomitantly with and to the same extent as the movements imparted tothe first table ll 2, i It by operation of its adjustingmernber iZi'i.

A strong spring is tends'constantly to draw the second table I '34, I it to the right when viewed as in Fig.5, keeping the nut member of this table always engaged either with the connecting member l52, when the latter is in proper position for engaging the nut, or with the supporting member I38 which serves as alimit stop or abutment for the nut member I36 when the connecting member I52 is not in position to engage the nut member.

In Fig. 5 there are also shown, in addition to the cutting tool H1 and the tracing stylus H9, a motor I64 ,for driving the cutting tool, and another motor 366 on which 'the tracing stylus H9 may be mounted, so that the tracing stylus and the cutting tool may be interchangeable, and either motor may be used for either one of these elements; or, when the machine is to be used in other ways, two cutting tools may be mounted on the spindles of the two motors.

In all other respects except the non-vertical direction of movement and the use of the return spring I60, this construction diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 5 may be the same as the construction previously described in connection with Figs. 1-4, and it operates in the same way and has the same advantages.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the above mentioned objects of the invention are admirably fulfilled. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative example only, rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from the invention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine tool including a first work table mounted for adjusting movement, a second work table also mounted for adjusting movement, first adjusting means for varying the position of said first work table, second adjusting means for varying the position of said second work table, and interconnecting means operatively connected to said first work table and movable bodily therewith and also movable relative to said first work table from an ineifective position uncoupled from said second table to an effective operating position engaging with a portion of said second adjusting means for causing said second table to move through its adjusting movements concomitantly with the adjusting movements of said first table.

2. A construction as described in claim 1, in which said second adjusting means includes cooperating screw and nut parts, and in which said interconnecting means, when in its operative position, engages with and acts as a position-determining member for one of said parts.

3. A construction as described in claim 2, in which said interconnecting means, when in its operative position, acts as a position-determining member for said nut part, and in which other position-determining means is provided for holding said nut part at one end of its range of travel when said interconnecting means is ineffective to hold said nut part at a different position in its range of travel.

4. A construction as described in claim 3, in which said interconnecting means is in the form of a shiftable arm mounted to move bodily with said first table and also mounted for shifting movement in a direction laterally with respect to the direction of adjusting movement of said first table, from an effective position wherein a portion of said arm is alined with a portion of said nut part in a position to engage with and cause movement of said nut part, to an ineffective position out of alinement with said nut part.

5. A construction as described in claim 4, in which said screw and nut parts are so arranged 6 that theymay be operated while said nut part is engaged with and has its position determined by said interconnecting means, further to adjust the position of said second table in addition to the adjustment thereof by the operation of said first adjusting means.

6. A construction as described in claim 1, in which both of said work tables are mounted for approximately vertical adjusting movements and said interconnecting means is in the form of a shiftable arm mounted to move upwardly and downwardly with said first table and also mounted for lateral shifting movement from an effective position engaging a portion of said second adjusting means to an inefiective position disengaged from said second adjusting means.

7. A construction as described in claim 6, in

which said shiftable arm is mounted to turn on a substantially vertical pivot.

I 8. A construction as described in claim 1, in which both of said work tables are mounted for adjusting movements in directions substantially parallel to each other and at a substantial angle to a vertical line, and said interconnecting means is in the form of a shiftable arm movable bodily with the first table and also mounted toturn relative to said first table on a pivotal axis extending approximately parallel to the directions of movement of both tables, to shift said arm from an effective position engaging a portion Oif said second adjusting means to an ineffective position disengaged from said second adjusting means.

9. A machine tool including a stationary frame, a first work table assembly mounted for substantially vertical movement relative to said frame, first adjusting means for varying the height of said assembly, a second work table assembly also mounted for substantially vertical movement relative to said frame, a guideway mounted on said frame and extending substantially vertically, an elongated screw threaded member mounted for upward and downward movement in said guideway, a second elongated screw threaded member engaged with the first threaded member and operatively connected to said second table assembly to change the elevation of said second table assembly relative to said first threaded member when one of said threaded members is turned relative to the other of said threaded members, and means on said first table assembly for engaging said first threaded member to raise said first threaded member in said guideway when said first table assembly is raised by said first adjusting means.

10. A construction as described in claim 9, in which said means on said first table assembly is mounted for selective movement to an ineffective position out Olf engagement with said first threaded member, so that when it is placed in said position, said first table assembly may be adjusted upwardly without causing upward movement of said first threaded member in said guideway.

11. A construction as described in claim 10, in

V which said means on said first table assembly is pivotally mounted thereon to swing relative thereto on a substantially vertical axis of oscillation.

12. A construction as described in claim 1, in which both of said work tables are mounted for adjusting movements in directions substantially parallel to each other and at a substantial angle to a vertical line, and said interconnecting means is in the form of a shiftable arm movable bodily an effective positionengaging a portion of said second adjusting means to an ineffective position disengaged from said second adjusting means, in which said second adjusting means includes cooperating screw and nut parts, and in which said interconnecting means, when in its operative position, engages with and acts as a position-determining member for one'of said parts,

8 and spring means Lfor securing said engagement in effective position of said parts.

KURT ZWICK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Number Name Date 1,874,810 Saives Aug. 30, 1932 2,176,193 Zwick Oct. 1'7, 1939 2,247,462 Zwick July 1,1941 2,314,499 Howard Mar. 23, 1943 

